Thursday, October 25, 2012

On patriotic sites, I often read commenters’ heart-felt frustrations over both the unchecked lawlessness of the federal government as well as the painful absence of effective and concerted remedial action on the part of patriots everywhere to correct those abuses.

WHAT IF Obama is re-elected and stubbornly continues on his reckless course to “fundamentally transform the US of A”?

WHAT IF he, his progressive allies and acquiescent politicians on the other sideof the political aisle continue to ignore and, by their neglect, enable the federal government’s continuing to routinely flout and undermine the US Constitution with impunity?

My sense is that for millions of patriots, four more years of progressive tyranny would be a bridge too far. Backs to the wall and fearing for their lives, liberties and their ability to pursue happiness, my guess is that these patriots would, with proper leadership and in a spirit of civic-mindedness, tenaciously and unselfishly commit to taking all appropriate action to arrest America’s transformation and to otherwise nullify progressive tyranny.

With the Constitution as their guide, among these countless patriots, political accommodation, appeasement and compromise would be adjudged odious, self-destructive and, yes, treasonous. Seriously committed to restoring constitutional & economic order as well as to safeguarding and applying the foundational doctrines of “separation of powers” and “checks and balances” at all levels of government, my guess is that the resulting societal and political impact on the nation would be historical in both scope and intensity.

At least, that is my fervent hope.

Desperate, the question then becomes how can patriots, short of open rebellion, effectively push back and stop the progressive/statist tide, failing which Americans everywhere must, by their ineffective action or silence, reconcile themselves to subservience to the State?

While I’m sure my proposal doesn’t break new ground, here it is anyway:

First and foremost, to be effective, organized patriotic resistance must be rigidly guided by participants’ unwavering and fearless pledge to uphold, defend and fully implement the original meaning and intent of the Constitution of the United States as well as the Constitutions of the several States. Importantly, personal agendas and self-serving playbooks cannot be permitted to play any part whatsoever.

Secondly, to effectively counter the power elite, and while retaining their independence from one another, patriotic organizations around the country must link up and pledge their “patriotic cooperation” with the aim of effecting a reversal of progressive tyranny and to restore constitutional governance.

Third, all patriotic organizations should, at some point soon, immediately dispatch representatives to a “national convention of patriots” (ironic were it to be convened in Philadelphia) to develop both a list of grievances, again firmly grounded in the Constitution and our founding documents-- not in short-sighted parochial or self-aggrandizing considerations--and a corresponding list of specific strategies for effective, nationwide and well-coordinated civil disobedience and other activist engagement. (Among countless strategies, this initial grassroots agenda might well entail widespread refusal to pay various taxes/fees whose payment would constitute a clear violation of the Constitution; actively resisting EPA bullying by on-site demonstrations of solidarity with those job-creating industries (coal?) which have been especially injured by EPA overreach; developing a draft of Article V reforms; pressing State legislative representatives to resist federal overreach and to encourage States to immediately assume control over and to drill for oil/gas in those “federal lands” illegally held by the federal government. Obviously, the possibilities are endless . But, you get the picture.) Representatives might opt to extend invitations to constitutional scholars and historians to elicit their input and participation as well.

The burning question is what organizers of which creditable patriotic organizations already in existence who already enjoy notoriety and a following are willing to take the lead in this patriotic networking effort? What knowledgeable organizers are willing to initiate contacts with other national and local grassroots patriotic organizations to propose this patriotic networking and convention of patriots? Who’s willing to step up? All we need is leadership.

Finally, this: why wouldn’t a “National Patriot Convention"--not a constitutional convention--be entirely appropriate? Both progressivism, the enemy of republicanism, and an unscrupulous disregard for and ignorance of the original meaning of the Constitution on the part of our other political elites--both on the left and right--constitute an insidious contagion, a “clear and present danger”, which imperils both our way of life and our republican form of government.

If, indeed, and as provided for in the Constitution and by the framers and ratifiers of same, We the People are the final arbiters of what is and what is not constitutional, and if We the People are, in fact, sovereign and pre-eminent in this republican system of government, then the duty rests squarely on our shoulders to remedy the “train of abuses”.

No more excuses. No more inaction. No more let-the-other-guy-do-it. No more therapeutically preaching or venting to the choir. Going forward, we must fully understand that only active, constructive, effective and unified nationwide grassroots engagement will turn the authoritarian tide and restore constitutional order.

I pray someone steps up to help move this grassroots effort forward. Gov. Palin? Tea Party organizers/blog managers? So many excellent possibilities too numerous to suggest here.

Truth is millions of patriots are chomping at the bit to make a REAL difference. Individually, we are reduced to whining, frustrated victims of tyranny. United, well-coordinated and firm in our civic-minded conviction to restore public trust and constitutional order, we millions are a powerhouse and can absolutely influence the direction both of our States and our nation.

If the re-election of Obama doesn’t spur us to effectively act in patriotic concert, just what will—ever? Doing nothing is a surefire recipe for disaster, a tacit consent to tyranny.

“What country can preserve its liberties if its rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance.” Thomas Jefferson“The two enemies of the people are criminals and government, so let us tie the second down with the chains of the Constitution so the second will not become the legalized version of the first.” Thomas Jefferson

“Whenever the legislators endeavor to take away and destroy the property of the people, or to reduce them to slavery under arbitrary power, they put themselves into a state of war with the people, who are thereupon absolved from any further obedience.” John Locke

About Me

Retired 2003 as Assoc. Dir. Refugee & Immigration Services in Rochester. A Vietnam veteran (Captain, Infantry/Civil Affairs/Psy Ops), spent many years in Southeast Asia, Africa, Subcontinent managing disaster relief and development projects. Am a small businessman and keenly interested in history and the Constitution. Concerned that our country is being inexorably drawn toward Socialism and that Americans are unwittingly abandoning our founding governing principles and, in the process, our liberties, way of life and economic vitality, and disillusioned with the radicalized Democratic Party, became a member of the Greece and Monroe County Republican Committees until July 2012 when I became a registered member of the Conservative Party. Although politically conservative and a constitutional originalist, I welcome all constructive opinions. Only through common-sense dialogue, objective evaluation of opposing patriotic viewpoints, and a studious adherence to the Constitution can we all learn and develop responsible positions which will benefit our Republic. Member of Rochester Conservatives, the Tea Party, American Legion, Vietnam Vets of America, Gun Owners of America, NRA.